Automatic wagon-brake.



1. v. KAIVIMERS 81]. H. BROPHY.

AUTOMATIC WAGON BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 13. QM- RENEWED MAR. H), 1916.

Patented m 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS SHEET l.

o A i wxhw 1\- 1 Q q QM ca f ,on Wm M (Jo/17v [IA (Amman; Jizmas flBzvp/gy.

J. V. KAMMERS & J. H. BROPHY.

AUTOMATIC WAGON BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 13. 19M. RENEWED MAR. 10. 1916.,

Patented July 11, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

awe/Mow 051m M fammers James 17. Bwpjgy.

wi/bnaom ms mum's mtrzns 00.. Pnaro-uma. \vAsumamn. n. c.

TIN @ATEh PAFNT UFFTWF.

JOHN V. KAMMERS AND JAMES H. BROPHY, OF LAMONT, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC WAGON-BRAKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 13, 1914, Serial No. 824,584. Renewed March 10, 1916. Serial No. 83,411.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN V. KAMMERS and JAMES H. BnorHY, citizens of the United States, residing at Lamont, in the county of Whitman and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improve ments in Automatic Wagon-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improved automatic or self-setting brake which is for use on wagons and other vehicles, the object of the invention being to provide an improved brake of this kind in which the brake shoes are automatically applied to the rear wheels when descending a grade and are withdrawn from the wheels when the vehicle is moving on a level road or up an incline, another object of the invention being to provide brake apparatus of this class which may be readily and cheaply attached to the running gear of an ordinary wagon and which may be adjusted according to the length of the vehicle and which is not likely to get out of order.

The invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a plan of a running gear of a wagon provided with brake apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view, on a larger scale of a portion of the tongue, front hounds and their connections. Fig. 3 is a similar view, also on a larger scale of the rear axle, hounds and their connections. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on the plane indicated by the line a-a of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a similar view on the plane indicated by the line b-?) of Fig. 3.

For the purposes of this specification a front axle is indicated at 1, the front hounds at 2, the tongue at 3, the front Wheels at 4, the rear axle at 5, the rear hounds at 6 and the rear wheels at 7. The fork 8 at the rear end of the tongue is arranged between the front hounds and is pivotally connected thereto by a bolt rod 9. Strap irons 10 are secured on opposite sides of the tongue and form bearings for the said bolt rod and a pulley 11 is mounted on the bolt rod and arranged in a vertical slot 12 with which the rear portion of the tongue is provided. A hammer strap or iron 13 is secured on the upper side of the tongue and is provided in its forwardly extending elevated portion with a slot 1 1. The doubletree or evener bar 15 is pivotally connected to the hammer strap by a bolt 16 which operates in the slot 14 and permits the doubletree to move forwardly and rearwardly. A clip yoke 17 is secured on the front side of the doubletree at its center and may be engaged with a hook 18 on the tongue to secure the doubletree against longitudinal movement on the tongue when desired. At the front end of the tongue is a pulley 19 which is arranged in a slot in the tongue and is mounted on a bolt 20. A traveler rod 21 is secured on the upper side of the tongue near its front end and the neck yoke 22 is provided with an attaching ring 23 which engages said traveler rod so that the neck yoke also is adapted to move forwardly and rearwardly on the tongue. A cord, cable or chain 24; engages the pulleys 11 and 19 and has its front end connected to the neck yoke and its rear end connected to the doubletree by a link 25. lhis cord passes through a guide openin 26 with which the hammer iron 13 is provided. Under the center of the front axle are a pair of horizontally arranged guide pulleys 27. The reach 28 is connected to the rear hounds in the usual manner so that the rear axle may be adjusted toward or from the front axle according to the desired length of the wagon gear. A cross bar 29 is secured on the rear hounds by clips 30. The brake bar 31 is suspended from the ends of the cross bar by hangers 32 for permitting the forward and rearward movement of the brake bar and the latter is provided with brake shoes of usual or any other construction and which are adapted to engage the rear wheel 7 when said brake bar moves rearwardly. A pair of bracket arms 34 are clamped to and extend forwardly from the rear axle and are arranged each at a suitable distance from the center of said rear axle. A pair of brake levers 35 are provided each of which is pivotally connected a suitable distance from its inner end to one of the bracket arms 3% by means of a bolt 36, the said brake levers being provided with adjusting openings 37 for engagement by end pivot bolts so that said levers may be adjusted to give them the desired throw and leverage. To the center of the bracket beam 31 is attached the front .end of the rearwardly extending link arm 38, as at 39. A link member 10 has a forked forwardly extending portion 11 adjustably connected to the link arm 38 by means of a bolt 42 and by means of a seriesof adjusting openings'with which the said element 40 is provided and thesaid link member 40 is also provided and connected by link elements 44 to the inner ends of the brake levers. Cords or rods 45 are attached to the outer ends. of the brake levers and are connected at their front ends by links 46 to the rear end'of an ad'uster rod 47. Said adjuster rod 47 is slidably connected to an adjuster rod 48. The rod 47 has a right angle arm 49 through which the rod 48 extends and also has a series of adjusting openings 50 which may be engaged by a right angle stud 51 with which the rod 48 is provided, and a nut 52 is screwed on saidstem to secure the said rods in the desired adjusted position. The front adjuster rod 48 is connected by a cord or cable 53 to the cord or cable 24 as at 54 said cord or cable 53 passing between the guide pulleys 27.

' The'operation of our invention is as follows :'When the vehicle is moving on a level roa'dor up an incline and draft stress is exerted on the doubletree the latter has its bolt 16 at the front end of the slot 14 and draws thecable 24 rearwardly and the neck yoke forwardly so that the connections hereinbefore described between said cord or cable 24 and the brake levers are slack.

1 Hence the brakes are released from the rear wheels. When the vehicle starts down a hill and the team draws rearwardly on the neck yoke said neck yoke draws the cable 24 forwardly thusmoving the double tree rearwardly and also through the connections hereinbefore described drawing forwardly on the outer ends of the brake levers 35, so that said brake levers, which are connected to the brake beam 31 move the brake beam rearwardly and apply the brake shoes to the rear wheels thus automatically setting the brakes. lVhen it is desired to back the team without applying the brakes this may be accomplished by attaching the link 17 of the doubletree to the hook 18 on the tongue.

Having thus described our invention, we claim In a device of the kind described, in combination a draft beam, said beam being cut away to provide a pulley-receiving opening, a pin in said beam spanning said opening, a pulley journaled on said pin, a strap secured at one end upon said beam in advance of said pulley, said strap having an elongated part spaced parallel from said beam and having an elongated slot formed there in, a cable trained over said pulley, and. passing through the back of said strap, a \vhiliietree slidably mounted upon said beam and having a substantially central pin operating in said slot, a horse shoe loop secured upon opposite longitudinal edges of said whifiletree, said cable being secured to one of said loops and a pivoted hook on said beam adapted to engage the other of said loops whereby to prevent movement of the pin in said slot.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN V. KAMMERS. JAMES H. BROPHY. Witnesses:

WILL R. HEGLOR, E. J. ELLrs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). 0. 

